Railway brake beam structure



April 5 H. w. EKHOLM 2,543,595

RAILWAY BRAKE BEAM STRUCTURE Filed Sept. 5, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR HERBERT W. EKHOLM BY ATTORNEY.

April 30, 1951 H. w. EKHOLM 2,543,595

RAILWAY BRAKE BEAM STRUCTURE Fil d Sept. 5, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

' HERBERTW EKHOLM QM M ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 10, 1951 RAILWAY BRAKE BEAM STRUCTURE Herbert W. Ekholm, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Ohicago Railway Equipment Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application September 5, 1946, Serial No. 694,891-

6 Claims. 1

The invention relates to railway brake beams of the truss type and consists in structure for maintaining the assembly of the compression member, the tension member and the brake head.

In a usual truss type brake beam, the head is seated on the end of the compression member and has a bearing on its outer face for a nut threaded on the end of the tension rod which passes through the brake head. If the nut works off or if the tension rod fails, the head may become disassembled from the compression and tension members. In such event, if the only support for the beam is the usual swing hanger received in the head, the beam may fall to the track and may cause serious damage to the truck and even wreck the train.

The main object of the invention is to maintain assembly of the beam in the event the tension rod or the nut fails.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a safety retainer for the head and other beam members which is simple, inexpensive and effective for the purpose indicated.

Another object is to provide an easily removable safety retainer in the event the brake beam must be disassembled for making repairs.

These and other detail objects are attained by the structure illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a top View of a railway trusstype brake beam embodying one form of the invention, the left hand end being sectioned.

Figure 2 is a section similar to the left hand end of Figure l drawn to an enlarged scale and taken on line 22 of Figure 4.

Figures 3 and 4 are detail vertical views looking in the directions of the arrows 3a and 401., respectively, in Figure l and drawn to an enlarged scale.

Figure 5 is a top view of the left hand end of a beam and shows another form of the invention.

Figure 6 is a rear view of the embodiment shown in Figure 5.

Figure 7 is an end view of the embodiment shown in Figures 5 and 6, only a portion of the brake head being hown.

Figures 8, 9 and 10 are views similar to Figures 5, 6 and 7, respectively, and show another form of the invention.

The beam illustrated in Figures 13 includes a channel-shaped compression member I, a round rod tension member 2, a strut 3 intermediate the ends of the beam, brake heads 4 mounted on the converging ends of the compression and tension members, and tensioning nuts 5 threaded on the ends of the tension member. Each head 4 includes the usual elements 6 facing forwardly of the beam and supportin the usual brake shoe (not shown). The outer side 1 of the head has a bearing 8 for nut 5. The inner side 9 of the head preferably, but not necessarily, includes a sleeve Ii) which encircles tension rod 2 and tends to limit play of the tension rod relative to compression member I. The head is recessed inwardly from its inner side 9 to receive the end portion of compression member I and the end of the latter is seated at l I.

All of the above described features correspond to well known structure. The web l2 of the compression member is provided with an elongated aperture I3. A retainer [4, adapted to prevent accidental disassembly of brake head 4 from tension rod 2 and compression member I, is made of a piece of resilient wire bent substantially at its center into a loop 15 and forming two parts disposed generally at a right angle to eachother and each consisting of two lengths of the wire.

One part is ofiset a relatively short distance atv l1, adjacent to loop [5, and at I6 and I9 respectively extends alongside the inner and outer faces.

of the web of the channel compression member, the two lengths of the part then curving upwardly and downwardly respectively and diverge from each other, but lie in the same plane. The other part of the retainer is formed by extensions IQ of the two lengths overlying and underlying the beam compression member respectively with their terminals 20 inturned towards each other. Portions l8, I9, and 29 cooperate to form a substantially rectangular hook.

Aperture I3 in web l2 of compression member I is slightly longer than the overall diameter of loop I5 and is approximately twice as wide as the wire thickness, but narrower than the loop diameter, to prevent withdrawal of the loop through the apertureduring normal operation of the device.

After brake head 4, compression member I, tension rod 2 and nut 5 are assembled, retainer I4 is installed by inserting loop I5 through aperture I3 with the loop diameter lengthwise of aperture.

l3. The retainer then is twisted and turned to approach the position shown and outwardly curved portions I8 are distorted manuallysufficiently to permit legs Is to be applied to the 3 J9 are bent about the opposite side of the brake head.

In the embodiment shown in Figures 5, 6 and 7, the web of compression member 30 has a substantially circular aperture 3|. Retainer 32 is formed of a piece of resilient wire having an arcuate portion 33, an offset 34 extending through aperture 3|, an arcuate portion 35 and a leg 36. Retainer 32 is installed after compression member 30, tension rod 38, brake head 39 and nut 40 are assembled and the end of leg 36 is sprung over the pocket forming portion of brake head 39.

In the embodiment of Figures 8, 9 and 10, compression member 40 has a substantially circular aperture 4| as in the previously described embodiment. Retainer 42 comprises a straight portion 43, an oifset 44 extending through aperture.

4|, a straight portion 45 and a leg 65. After assembly of the brake beam, retainer 42 is installed thereon and leg 46 is sprung over the pocket forming portion of brake head 4i.

Retainers 32 and 42 preferably are distorted slightly upon installation to hold them firmly on the ends of the brake beam. The amount of such distortion is indicated in Figures 6 and 9 which show in dot and dash lines the relaxed'position the retainers would assume if they were free to do so.

It will be understood that the safety retainers here illustrated are not intended to take the place of the tensioning nuts for resisting the thrusts exerted longitudinally of the beam when the brakes are applied and released but they will prevent the head from being accidentally disassembled from the remaining beam parts and the resultant dropping of the parts to the rail.

Details of construction may be varied substantially without departing from the spirit of the invention and the exclusive use of novel structure coming within the scope of the claims is contemplated.

What is claimed is: a 1. In a railway truss type brake beam including a compression member and a tension rod with their end portions converging, a brake head receiving said end portions, said compression member having an aperture therethrough, an element extending through said aperture and being bent substantially at its center into a loop positioned at one side of said compression member, the ends of the element at the other side of the compression member being bent in opposite directions about said brake head to hold said brake head against accidental removal from said compression member.

2. In a railway truss type brake beam including a compression member and a tension member with their end portions converging, a brake head receiving said end portions, and a device on the end of the tension member thrusting the brake head against the end of the compression member, said compression member having an aperture therein, an element bent substantially at its center into a loop positioned in said compression member and having an offset portion extending through said aperture, and the ends of the element exteriorly of the compression member being bent about said brake head to hold said brake head against accidental removal from said compression member.

3. In a railway truss type brake beam including a compression member and a tension member withtheir end portions converging, a brake head receiving said end portions, and a device on the end of the tension member thrusting the brake head against the end of the compression member, a resilient element bent substantially at its center into a loop positioned in said compression member, said compression member having an elongated aperture therein, the length of said aperture being greater than and the width of said aperture being less than the loop diameter, said loop when said element is in its normal position being unable to pass through said aperture, the remainder of said element extending through said aperture outwardly of said compression member and being bent about said brake head to hold said brake head against accidental removal from said compression member.

4. In a railway truss type brake beam including a compression member and a tension rod with end portions converging, a brake head receiving said end portions, and a device on the end of the tension rod thrusting the brake head against the end of the compression member, said compression member having an aperture therein, a flexed resilient element having an offset portion extending through said aperture, one end of said element engaging the interior of said compression member and the other end of said element engaging the outside of said compression member and being bent about said brake head to prevent accidental removal of said brake head from said compression member.

5. In a railway truss type brake beam including a channel-shaped compression member and a tension rod with end portions converging, a brake head receiving said end portions, said com pression member having an aperture in its upright web, an elongated element doubled on itself with its intermediate portion offset and extending through said aperture and along opposite faces of said web at either side of the offset, one end of said element having extensions projecting transversely of the length of the element yieldingly engaging the brake head to hold the latter against accidental removal from said compression member.

6. A unitary retainer for a, railway brake beam compression member and brake head, comprising two parts disposed substantially at a right angle to each other and consisting of an elongated wire of resilient material doubled intermediate its ends to form loop at one end of the retainer, the two lengths of the wire being offset for a relatively short distance adjacent to the loop and then diverging from each other, the diverging portions lying in a common plane, the remainder of the lengths forming the other of said parts with their terminals inturned towards each other and forming with the diverging portions a substantially rectangular hook adapted to embrace the body of a brake head.

HERBERT W. EKHOLM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 22,874 Moline Apr. 29, 1947 2,270,610 Spaeth et al Jan. 20, 1942 2,419,115 Busse Apr. 15, 1947 2,460,670 Barton Feb. 1, 1949 

